CGOTW - Master of Orion 2

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I finally, after some inexplicable delay, picked up Galactic Civilizations II, and while it's an intriguing game so far, it appeals to me strongest by invoking the ghost of Microprose-past and this easy classic. As 4X games go (explore, expand, exploit and exterminate), there was likely no better than 1996's Master of Orion 2, a game so good that none dared challenge it for nearly a decade. It's only with recent releases such as the Galactic Civilizations and Imperium Galactica series, that developers have crept once more into the strategic reaches of space.

Not diminished by the less than stellar third attempt at the Master of Orion series, MOO2, as the game is affectionately known, rivaled, I dare say, Civilization itself as one of the defining turn-based strategy games of all time, and it is this week's Classic Game of the Week.

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I know most folks really like MOO 2 over one. With the addition of leaders and such. But I always loved MOO 1 more. It was streamline, clean in design and you could really get that great feeling of playing a wonderful space 4x without all the complications more modern games have (others would say the cool bells and whistles).
PLUS I just loved the music at the start screen:>)

I remember a few nights during some unemployed periods of hooking up some LAN action with this for like 36 hours straight. You find yourself wanting to choke everyone who is hardcore into micromanagement as you have to wait for them to finish their turns! I think the average 36 hour session ended up with us accomplishing about as much as you could do in 2-3 hours in a single player game haha.

I wasn't necessarily good at it because I never really achieved a quick victory. It would alway end with massive turn-based fleet battles of attrition.

I remember the self satisfaction that came with subjugating the populations of my enemy's planets. By the end game, it would always be all out war for me. For highly populated and strategic planets owned by an enemy civilization, I showed no remorse in nuking the entire populations from orbit to deny the industrial and economic benefits to my enemies. Often if I reached desperation I would just outright destroy the planets themselves one-by-one, the life force of billions snuffed out in moments.... to ensure the greater good of victory.

Don't look at me with those eyes. It was a means to an end! I'm not sure what to think of that virtual galatic conquest, other than... What a great game!

Great pick. College was full of several day long hotseat games of this. GalCivII has largely replaced MoO2 as my Space 4X game of choice, but I still go back to MoO2 every once in a while on my laptop. Such an incredible game.

I loved MOO 1 as a kid, but never played this one. I really should pick this up.

"But when the game, the second-person engine, starts again, it tells you about yourself ... like Scheherazade and her king mixed up together in one, trying over and over to tell yourself your own story, and get it right" - You by Austin Grossman

I love MOO 2 and still play it. I've tried Galactic Civ II and it just doesn't quite have the same feel for me. It is generally the first game I install on every computer I have gotten since (5 of them), partly because it is so easy to setup to play without inserting the CD. Although some of the player generated races can be just ridiculously powerful.

I'd highly suggest you pick up MOO 2 Pyro.

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing noise they make as they fly by." -- Douglas Adams

There was an AI patch for Ascendancy which made it a much better game, in my opinion, and a viable competitor for MoO2. I still play it every once in a while, largely because the amazing space battles in Ascendancy are unmatched in any 4X game I've played since.

GalCiv2 has no tactical combat and is therefore barely a MOO2 substitute. The games are just too different. And I miss multiplayer for GalCiv2 which was even provided by MOO2. MOO2 MP works very fine with the DOS version under DOSBox:

This is one title I've been begging GameTap to add to their lineup. I do really like GalCiv II but it just doesn't share the same magic for me. And yeah, MOO 3 was just ridiculous. I remember reading a review on it that said it felt like Quicksilver Software had a huge brainstorming session for the game and decided to implement every idea that was put out without discarding anything. I bought the game day one and after about six hours just trying to figure out how to do some of the most basic functions of the game, I realized to myself "I could've played 3 games of MOO 2 by now" and that's exactly what I went and did. I never picked up MOO 3 again. Great choice.

Thanks a lot, Elysium. Because of you, I spent the last two nights playing MoO2, not getting to sleep until well past 1am. You've also made me realize how much I now suck at the game. The only way I was able to win so far was to play on the Tutorial difficulty level.

Certis: Quintin is both smart and attractive.

Fedaykin98: Good lord, I wouldn't have expected brilliance like that from that nemeslut Quintin Stone!

Yonder: It's weird to say this, but Quintin Stone may be the wisest person here.

I claim that the tactical combat in Master of Orion / MoO 2 wasn't actually significant in any way. The outcome was, more or less, always predetermined unless you went out of your way to screw things up.

"I claim that the tactical combat in Master of Orion / MoO 2 wasn't actually significant in any way"

You sound like moo2 newbie who played game few times and now shows his big opinion to the world. Battles combined with ship designs in moo2 are very deep from tactical point of view. Maybe you didnt try the 1.31 patch which brings initiative in battles. Veteran commander can win over unexpirienced player even if he has much less forces on the battlefield. Outcome depends on knowledge and skills not on predetermined things.

I claim that the tactical combat in Master of Orion / MoO 2 wasn't actually significant in any way. The outcome was, more or less, always predetermined unless you went out of your way to screw things up.

Basically, it was just a way to waste time.

Aren't all games a way to waste time? I enjoy the tactical combat, which is why I didn't pick up GalCiv2.

Certis: Quintin is both smart and attractive.

Fedaykin98: Good lord, I wouldn't have expected brilliance like that from that nemeslut Quintin Stone!

Yonder: It's weird to say this, but Quintin Stone may be the wisest person here.

I always had a thing for going crazy up the tech tree to where you just start making everything smaller and smaller until you can like fit mauler devices on a tiny ass ship. Of course winning when you get to that point is ridiculously easy usually unless someone gets lucky with a black hole gen. Of course it was also pretty entertaining spying on people and stealing tech.

Creative and subterranean work pretty well too, especially with a large home planet. That's expensive enough that you have to take disadvantages, though. I tried 'low growth rate' last time, and that's just not a good idea. Will have to try something different next time.

"I've been playing Rebel Galaxy for the past few days. It has made me appreciate every other game in the genre more." -- Flintheart Glomgold